Can glitter pop queen Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”) really be taken seriously enough by those notorious snobs in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to win the Oscar for Best Actress? Watch veteran Oscarologists Anne Thompson (Indiewire), Pete Hammond (Deadline Hollywood) and I track that top race in video (above) or listen to the audio podcast version below.

“She’s so incredible in this movie,” Anne asserts about Gaga. “She’s not this made-up pop star we see every other day. Bradley Cooper got an amazing performance out of her. Very authentic.”

But Gaga competes against Glenn Close (“The Wife”), who is ridiculously overdue to win. (Six defeats. That ties the record for most losses among actresses.) Also strong in this category is Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”), but which category does Colman really belong in? Lead or supporting? Anne, Pete and I tackle all of these Oscar mysteries with our notoriously huffy opinions.